


Brother Merrick's Aide to Travel with an Overview of the Various Towns and a Guide to Wayside Accommodations

by JesBelle



Category: Heroes of Might and Magic (Video Games), Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-24 00:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8347936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesBelle/pseuds/JesBelle
Summary: A fussy friar writes a guide to traveling in my HOMM3/Minecraft mash-up, so that players can find stuff and hopefully identify what all of these weird-ass buildings are.





	1. Claxton

Ah Claxton! I hope the reader may forgive my obvious affection for my home town. Although I love travel, with its fresh vistas and new people, my thoughts (and my horse) always return eventually to the wide ocean view, the glorious flower forest, and the friendly and prosperous people of Claxton.

Claxton offers many amenities for the weary traveler. The Griffin's Rest has private rooms for rent and a large dormitory where a comfortable bed may be had for a low price. The food is simple, but hearty. The roast pork is especially tasty.

The Mage guild has a large conference room and a well-stocked brewery. Even those with no particular interest in magic will find it worthwhile to visit. The clerics of Claxton specialize in the water element, and they can teach even casual magic users some very useful travel spells. The views of the ocean and nearby flower forest from the observation deck are stunning. The Mage guild does not have accommodations for overnight stays, but visiting magi will usually find an empty cell at the monastery next door. 

On Saturdays, one may view the rousing spectacle of the joust, or take in a tour of the barracks on the ridge above Claxton. It is the best place to observe the mysterious Portal of Heaven, through which one might even see an angel pass. The griffin conservatory is set on the same ridge, but it should be given a wide berth. Griffins are huge predators, and they do not tolerate any but their handlers approaching their nests.

The open-air market boasts a wide variety of foodstuffs and a goodly assortment of armor. There is also a lovely flower shop where visitors can choose one of the wide variety of native flowers, including the rare Allium, which grows only in this biome.

To the south of town is the university. The university offers classes in archery, diplomacy, and tactics. There is also an ancient magus there who can initiate seekers of wisdom in the techniques required to learn the highest level spells. One may also view the map of the known world here -- it is the only one in existence.

All-in-all, Claxton is quite the most pleasant place to live or visit.


	2. Serenity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fussy friar writes a guide to traveling in my HOMM3/Minecraft mash-up, so that players can find stuff and hopefully identify what all of these weird-ass buildings are.

Serenity lies somewhat less than a morning's ride east of Claxton, at the eastern edge of the mega taiga. It is controlled by the Elves and Dwarves, but other sentient species live here as well. 

Travelers would be well-advised to bring a tent when visiting Serenity. The Miner's Only is merely a tavern, with no overnight accommodation. (They do serve a very good mushroom stew, though.) The Mage guild does have a small room for visiting magi, but it is often occupied. If this makes Serenity seem like an unwelcoming town, that is not an accident. Most of the citizens are aloof and standoffish, particularly with other races, although they have accepted a select handful of humans over the years. Travelers should be careful to ask permission before erecting any temporary shelter in the Elvish lands, which include the entire mega taiga and the roofed forest to the northeast. One never knows when one is violating some sacred bit of soil otherwise.

The centaurs are, by far, the friendliest creatures here. They will let horses be tied up in their yard for a small fee, and the beast will always returned to one well-fed and watered, not to mention groomed. They have also been known to let travelers bed down in the straw mow on the condition that the traveler toss a bale or four down to the main floor. Centaurs hate stairs.

East of the centaur stable lies the arches, a mysterious grove that produces a kind of walking tree called a Dendroid. They are slow-moving, but very strong. They usually defend the Rampart when the other troops must be absent. It is said that they are related to the great Trees of Wisdom that have so often shown up in fables. I have never heard one speak, though, so I cannot say.

Beyond the arches is the little cottage of the Dwarves. They are said to possess great wealth. You wouldn't know it by looking at their dwelling, though. It seems to be nothing but a little, hollowed out hill. Rumor has it that they hide a great underground palace below that hill. I wouldn't put it past them.

Serenity Castle sits high above the town, and it has one of the most beautiful throne rooms in the known world. It sparks feelings of awe and humility in one's breast -- as it is no doubt meant to do. It is certainly nothing like the convivial Great Hall of Claxton Castle!

In front of the castle, is a tall natural spring that somehow produces winged mounts called Pegasi. The Pegasus riders are well-known among their enemies as fierce and swift fighters.

A little to the south of the castle is the entrance to the Unicorn grove. If one walks into the grove, it seems like just another bit of taiga, but Unicorns can be seen leaving and entering at all hours. The Unicorns do not speak, but they clearly understand everything that is said.   
They only communicate with their neighbors, the dragons.

West of the Dragons' cliff, is the great homestead of the Elven archers, their skill with a bow is legendary. It is said that their home is as cozy and inviting inside as it appears from the outside, but I wouldn't know.

The Mage guild is an oddity. It seems bizarre that the elves would house such a great store of magical wisdom inside a flimsy structure of wood and wool. Cramped and strange as it is, any adept of Earth magic will find it well worth the visit. 

Serenity is, without a doubt, a very beautiful town, one that can fill the heart with a great yearning to call it home, but the Elves and Dwarves do not allow many humans to do more than gaze at it from the outside.

Just southwest of town is the School of War. One can learn a great deal about the martial arts here, if one is interested. There are no spare beds at the school, either.


End file.
